Thursday, 1 July 2010

Julia is BACK!

Hey all!Sorry I am getting a little Lazy about the blog, it's partially because I am lazy and partially because I really have very little time to write now with the new schedule! So the new schedule is that at 8:15 Maica drives us all to the Abuela's house where we spend the day until around 3 when I am done for the day and someone drives me to a bus stop and the day is mine! But that means that it's harder to get back home early and since I have to wake up so early the next morning, I have been trying to go to sleep early, aka no blog :(Anyways! I like the new schedule! It's fun because I get to swim and play and we don't have a lot to do during the day so it's pretty chill. For this week and next week they have tennis lessons with some other kids which is fun because I get to swim in this really sweet pool during their lessons. I also was originally unhappy with spending the day at the Abuela's because I thought that I would be alone with them, but it turns out to be handy. She is there to enforce my rules, to help me know what to do with them, to make us meals. And she doesn't hover around or anything so I can speak english to them and they respond well. The only problem is that so many people are always stopping in... cousins, aunts, uncles, the housecleaner Laura... and they all hang around speaking Spanish to Carmen and Rafa. I can't really keep up with their Spanish and its awkward for me to talk in English, so I am really quite useless at those times. It's fine with me, I just don't think that it's going to help Carmen and Rafita's Spanish! Some stand out moments this week from playing with Rafa and Carmen:- They found a big hole in the yard with tons of snails and played with them. I was totally grossed out... they kept picking up the snails and putting them on their bodies and by the end they were covered in snail slime!- Carmen and Rafa are OBSESSED with sunscreen. It's handy because it's easy to get them to put it on, the trouble is getting them to stop! They keep putting out their hands for MORe MORE MORE and when I finally decide they have had enough, they fight and fight and cry and try to grab the sunscreen from me! It is crazy, but a little funny.- I now have been recruited to make friendship bracelets for a number of the cousins, plus one that is red-yellow-red (the Spanish flag) for Rafita, because he is only allowed to wear a manly bracelet.

Now some of my afternoon activities with Kaja-Monday we just hung around her house... but it was really frustrating because her mother didn't come back until late, leaving the housekeeper to tend to the kids, but the housekeeper kept coming up and asking Kaja to help her with the kids. Kaja felt bad because, its not the housekeeper's job, so she helped with the kids. But it showed us that if Kaja wants a break, she has to literally get out of the house and hide otherwise she is still going to have to work! Ah!- Tuesday we just wandered around the nearby village of Bodilla, nothing interesting- Weds we took a bus into Madrid, but the metro is all on strike so we couldn't go anywhere! We lay down in a grassy park and took a nap! Very nice. Then we walked around and shopped and had some dinner!- Today I hung out with Kaja for a little bit, but then went home early and showered and relaxed. It was nice! Also then Carmen was watching this little sing-a-long video, and I started dancing with her... basically the cutest thing I have ever seen, I love that girly!

Misc:- Kaja and I have to change up our weekend plans AGAIN because EVERY hotel in Pamplona is completely booked because of the running of the bulls festivities. So instead, we are going probably to Portugal next weekend, then Grenada, then maaaybe Valencia! The third place is still being discussed, so we shall see.- A problem with this month's schedule is that from Kaja's, the only way to get home is to take a bus to madrid and then transfer to another bus that takes me home. In total that trip costs 4 Euros and takes over 1.5 hours! It is sooo annoying buttt.....- Today my Abono came in the mail! Now all transportation on busses, metro, and trains is already payed for! Some pictures!!